# Dyson Daniels

Dyson James Daniels (born 17 March 2003) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Great Barrier Thief" for his stealing ability, he was drafted eighth overall in the 2022 NBA draft.

## Early life and career

Daniels was born in Bendigo, Victoria and started playing basketball at age seven. He attended Bendigo South East College.
Daniels signed with the Bendigo Braves, his father's former team, of the NBL1 for the 2019 season. Later that year, Daniels joined the NBA Global Academy, a training center at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. He helped Victoria win a silver medal at the 2021 Australian Under-20 Championships. Along with basketball, Daniels was a talented Australian rules footballer in his younger years and represented his home state of Victoria at several national football championships before giving up the sport to focus solely on basketball.

## Professional career
### NBA G League Ignite (2021–2022)

On 21 June 2021, Daniels signed with the NBA G League Ignite, a developmental team affiliated with the NBA G League. He turned down offers from several college programs and the National Basketball League Next Stars program. Daniels competed in the Rising Stars Challenge at 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend and helped his team win the title. In 26 games in the G League, he averaged 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and two steals per game. On 16 April 2022, Daniels declared for the 2022 NBA draft.

### New Orleans Pelicans (2022–2024)

Daniels was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. Daniels joined the Pelicans' 2022 NBA Summer League roster. However, Daniels suffered a right-ankle sprain in the second quarter in the Pelicans' Summer League opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, forcing Daniels to be ruled as out for the rest of the Summer League. On 9 July 2022, Daniels signed a rookie-scale contract with the Pelicans.

### Atlanta Hawks (2024–present)

On 6 July 2024, Daniels, E. J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller (via sign-and-trade), a 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), and a conditional 2027 first-round pick were traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Dejounte Murray.
On 8 November, Daniels put up a career-high seven steals in a 122–121 loss to the Detroit Pistons. On 15 November, Daniels became the first player since Michael Jordan in the 1989–90 season to record 15-plus points and five-plus steals in four consecutive NBA games and the first player since Alvin Robertson to record at least six steals in four consecutive NBA games.
On 23 December, Daniels recorded a career-high eight steals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

## National team career

Daniels represented Australia at the 2018 FIBA Oceania Under-15 Championship in Papua New Guinea. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, helping his team win the gold medal. On 20 February 2021, a 17-year-old Daniels made his debut for the Australian senior national team at FIBA Asia Cup qualification. He recorded 23 points, six steals and four assists in an 81–52 win over New Zealand. He helped Australia to beat France in a preparation game for the 2024 Olympic Games, scoring a reverse layup on the buzzer to win the game.

## Career statistics
### NBA
#### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2022–23 | New Orleans | 59 | 11 | 17.7 | .418 | .314 | .650 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 3.8 |
| 2023–24 | New Orleans | 61 | 16 | 22.3 | .447 | .311 | .642 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 5.8 |
| Career | Career | 120 | 27 | 20.0 | .435 | .312 | .645 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .3 | 4.8 |

#### Play-in

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2024 | New Orleans | 2 | 0 | 6.1 | .000 | .000 | — | 2.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | Career | 2 | 0 | 6.1 | .000 | .000 | — | 2.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |

#### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2024 | New Orleans | 82 | 0 | 5.7 | .333 | .000 | — | .7 | .0 | 25 | .0 | 26 |
| Career | Career | 3 | 0 | 5.7 | .333 | .000 | — | .7 | .0 | .7 | .0 | 26 |

## Personal life

Daniels' dad, Ricky Daniels, is from the United States and played college basketball at NC State before embarking on a professional career. He was a two-time South East Australian Basketball League MVP with the Bendigo Braves, and his number was retired by the team. Daniels' older brother, Kai, plays college basketball at Regis University. His younger brother, Dash, is a future NBL player with Melbourne United. Daniels has been nicknamed "The Great Barrier Thief" by Hawks teammate Larry Nance Jr.